After 15 years of stalling, the plan for a new casino in Biloxi receives site approval.
A Biloxi casino resort has finally been given the green light by Mississippi Gaming Commission (MGC) officials after four previous attempts over the past 15 years.
Having faced strong opposition from local casinos, RW Development and businessman Ray Wooldridge were successful in their latest bid for site approval for the proposed development. The MGC gave its blessing to build a casino on their land at Veterans Avenue and Beach Boulevard (US Highway 90).
In order to receive approval, RW Development must adhere to a list of conditions set forth by the commission. The site is only granted a three-year approval period; during this time, the company must secure financing and finish designing and approving the casino. The approval cannot be transferred to another company without further MGC approval.
Furthermore, Wooldridge and his team are required to build a handicap-accessible pier, which is estimated to cost over $3 million. They must also maintain the structure. And for the casino itself, the gaming space needs to remain within 800 feet of the mean high-water line, as mandated by state gaming laws.
Legal Struggles
Wooldridge's ambition is to replace his Big Play Entertainment Center with a casino resort, but his journey has been a difficult one. The project has faced a series of legal challenges and opposition since its conception.
The first application for approval was denied in July 2008, as the MGC deemed the property to not meet the statutory and regulatory requirements that require casinos along the Gulf Coast to remain within 800 feet of the mean high-water line. This initial rejection was a disappointment for Wooldridge, but his appeal was also denied. The courts sided with the MGC; they agreed that the 800 feet measurement starts where the mean high water meets the shore, not at the seawall.
RW Development reapplied in early 2017, but was again rejected and appealed. In June 2017, another application was submitted, but rejected again.
This time around, RW Development sought approval while agreeing to develop a public pier on the city's behalf through a lease agreement. This move proved to be a crucial one.
A legal dispute arose between Mississippi Attorney General Lynn Fitch and the city of Biloxi over the city's authority to enter into a contract with RW Development, as the stateowns the state's tidelands – lands that are covered and uncovered by daily tides. In March of this year, the state's highest court ruled in favor of Biloxi and granted the city permission to build a pier on the land owned by RW Development. This development was crucial for Wooldridge; with the location now closer to the mean high-water line, he was able to obtain site approval from the MGC.
Casino Opposition
Representatives from some of the eight current casinos in Biloxi voiced their disapproval of the site being granted approval for gaming. In a letter addressed to the MGC, Michael Bruffey, deputy director of the Mississippi Hospitality and Gaming Association (which represents Gulf Coast casinos), contested that the property still did not meet the state's qualifications for a gaming facility.
Bruffey focused on the agreement between the City of Biloxi and RW Development, which prohibits gaming from taking place on the actual pier. However, the MGC did not agree with his perspective.
"It seems they just don't want additional competition," Wooldridge told the Biloxi Sun Herald.
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